Conquer

Chapter 14 - You Have No Idea

Marcus POV

I grab the beach bags with Dad and follow the girls, "Come on! Let's Go!" I smile and watch the girls from afar. I see Imani waving at us, "Over here!" We walk over to them and set down the bags under the shady palm tree. The girls lay out their towels, I take off my shirt and my flip flops letting my feet hit the hot sand, I look over to Imani and Ruby to see them smirking at me. Then they yell out, "LAST ONE TO THE SEA HAS TO CLEAN UP!" We zoom off to the beach Imani taking the lead, Ruby and I are neck-n'-neck, with on quick jump from Ruby she beats me. 

They start to giggle at my loss and swim in the water, I follow after them and we continue our fun in the sun. After some time in the water, we get out and Imani runs over and gets a volleyball from the bag. I watch her talk to Dad and he stands with her, we all make our way to the open sand court. It was Ruby and me versus Dad and Imani. 

As the game went on Dad and Imani beat us, we made our way back to our shady spot, I pack up the bags, ran to the car and plopped them in the trunk. I ran back, once I got back we walk around the port. We stop at a restaurant and grab something to eat, after our meal we finally walk through the entrance of Pacific Park. 

We play stall games, each small snacks from here and there and get on rides. I look over to see Ruby whispering something to our parents, I brush it off and look over at Imani as her smile seems to brighten up the world around her. I see some guys staring as they walk past her but she doesn't seem to notice, I walk over to her and hold her hand. She looks at me and smiles, I return it and kiss her forehead. All of us make our way in line to a large rollercoaster, as we chat our way through the mildly-slow line we finally get in.

Screams of enjoyment fill the air as we zoom through the air, joy fills me with a gut jerking feeling as we zoom down the hill and loop around the park. Finally, the ride stops and the sun starts to set. 

When we get off I help Imani out and turn around to see everyone gone, I look at Imani and she looks just as confused as me. We get off and look around, then I feel a buzz in my pocket. I take out my phone and see a text from Ruby, "Take her to the Fairest Wheel!" I smile and start to figure out why they left. 

I drag Imani to the Fairest Wheel before she can ask me any questions I pull her closer and whisper, "Just trust me." She looks at me and nods.

The line moves quickly, soon we get in the booth and enjoy the slow and calming ride. Once we get to the top the ride stops, I smile as Imani looks at the setting sun. I grab her wrist pulling her to my lap, she looks up and I steal a kiss from her. She quickly melts to my touch and wraps her hand around my neck, our lips part as the ride start to slowing make it's way down.

We smile at each other and stand as the door opens, we walk to the car hand and hand. Once we get there the family is waiting patiently for us. Ruby was smirking at us, I feel myself blush a bit and hear a small giggle from Imani.

Timeskip

After our day at Pacific Park, my parents and Ruby left. Our peaceful days returned, Imani turned in her essay and passed which meant she's graduating. I continued my Mafia work and since Imani wasn't always busy with her fitness and Logo's she is able to help me and make the day go faster.

On one of our days of cooking Imani got a call, I watched from afar as her mood was lifted 10 folds. She then puts her call on hold and smiles at me, "Do you want to meet my Auntie?"

That all lead to today, her and I standing in front of the red door of a gorgeous penthouse. I was a bit nervous, not only is this the women who raised Imani but she also doesn't know that I'm in the Mafia! What if she finds out and won't allow me to see her? I then feel a hand on mine, I look down to see Imani giving me a reassuring smile. I ring the doorbell, the sound of footsteps are heard before the door opens. 

A short woman greets us with a smile, she has dark brown skin, her hair was shaved on both sides of her head, allowing her to have a curly-haired mohawk. She wore a simple t-shirt and jeans, she hugs Imani and kisses her forehead and smiles at me. "You must be Marcus! I've heard so much about you! My name is Faith! Please, come in! Dinner's almost ready~" We follow her in, Imani chats with her Auntie, I slowly follow looking around. I notice pictures of Imani and her around the house, some relatives as well. A picture with a yellow frame catches my eyes, I walk over to it to see a little girl with her parents. The little girl was a spitting image of Imani, and the two adults must be her parents. She looks exactly like her father but has her mother's eyes, I smile a bit at the sight until I hear my name being called. 

I run to the source to see Faith taking out a pan with a long strip of fish in it, Imani finishes setting the table and places the salad on the table. She looks up at me, "Marcus can you get the side dishes for me?" I nod and walk over to the bowl of chopped red potatoes. I place it on the table and Imani finishes filling the cups with water. 

We sit down at the table and before I could dig into my meal, Imani and Faith clap their hands together and I quickly do the same. "Thank you for the food!" I repeat what they say and they chuckle at my confusion. Faith decides to explain, "We like to watch a lot of anime and usually before they eat a meal they clap their hands together and say thanks for the meal." I smile understanding since Imani got me a bit hooked on a couple of shows.

"So what's it like being in the Mafia?" I start to choke a bit, "Can you repeat that?" She smiles, "Of course, what's it like being in the Mafia?" I look at Imani and she smiles at me and nods, "It's a bit stressful since I'm the boss but Imani helps me out so it's been easier for me." She continues eating, "That's good." I drink some water and take a deep breath, "Did Imani tell you?" She shakes her head, "No I figured it out when Imani told me about a hot guy she seems interested in." Imani covers her face, "Auntie." She snickers a bit and continues, "Once she told me of your men I just put the pieces together. I hope that you've been taking good care of her." 

I give her an intrigued smile and snicker a bit. "Yes, the same way she's been taking care of me. I never really realized how much I need her until I sit back and see her brilliant brain in action. Sometimes I wonder how I've survived this long without her."

Imani covers her face again in embarrassment, and Faith just snickers. "Isn't she so adorable when she gets all flustered?" I nod in agreement, "You have no idea."